How to Put Your Unborn Child Up for Adoption

Licensed adoption professionals are here to help provide you with information, education and support throughout the adoption process.

The comprehensive services they provide include:

• Financial assistance for rent and bills
• 24/7 support
• Free medical care and legal support
• Complete control over the process

Working with a professional who is there for you every step of the way means you can focus on finding a family and looking forward to a better future for you and your child while your agency handles the rest in the background.

When you choose adoption and work with a professional, you are in complete control of the process. You’ll create an adoption plan that is designed around your needs, including:

• The type of family you want for your child.
• Your expectations and plan for the hospital.
• The level of openness you prefer with the adoptive family and your child.

The role of your professionals is to help you put your child up for adoption safely, ensure you have everything you need during the process and help you find the perfect family for your child.

“You could tell they weren’t just putting on a front to make you want to do it or push you into it,” Angelica said about her adoption professional. “They want whatever you want, and that’s what they told me during the whole process. It wasn’t up to them; they were just going to be there for me no matter what decision I made.”

Giving up a child for adoption is a decision based purely on love and what’s best for the future. Included in that is finding a family that fits your vision of the ideal home and family for your baby.

Because you’re working with a licensed agency, in particular a national agency that works with more families, you can find adoptive parents who meet your criteria for the best fit.

If you choose to work with a smaller local agency, just know that they may have more limitations on the number of available families. 

To find someone to adopt your unborn baby, your adoption professional will go over adoption profiles based on your preferences. Looking for a home for your unborn baby can even be enjoyable with the right adoption professional.

“Rachel said, ‘Frances, you’ll know when you have picked the perfect family,’” Frances said of a conversation with her adoption specialist. “When we talked to Chris and Courtney, in the middle of the conversation, I knew Chris and Courtney were the ones.”

In modern-day adoptions, we always recommend some degree of openness and communication in an adoption situation. This will enable you to develop a relationship with your child as he or she grows up and watch as they grow into a happy, healthy adult. To begin this relationship, you can start by getting to know the adoptive family you choose while you are still pregnant.

“Once we found each other, it was as if we were attending a normal family get-together. We laughed and talked and enjoyed each other’s company,” Carmen remembered about finding the perfect adoptive family for her baby. “I grew to know and care for them — not only as the couple that would become the parents of my unborn son but as friends and family.”

Like any other pregnant woman, you’ll develop a birth plan for your child. You’ll determine how you want to deliver, whether or not you want pain medication, who should be in the room, etc. But if you’re considering adoption for your unborn child, you’ll need to go into a bit more detail and answer questions such as:

• Who should be in the delivery room? 
• Do you want to see the adoptive parents? 
• Do you want time alone with your baby? 

It’s all entirely up to you.

“I remembered filling out my hospital plan when everything was about me, me, me — but then all that happened, and I felt like it wasn’t about me anymore,” Angelica said about creating her hospital plan. “I couldn’t wait to see them hold her for the first time.

After the baby is born, you’ll need to officially give your consent before the adoption for your baby is complete. When you sign the adoption papers and issue your consent, you’re agreeing to terminate your legal parental rights so that your child’s parents can assume those rights.

This process is different for women in each state, but it’s important that you work with your adoption agency to properly give consent to your child’s adoption. 

A good adoption agency will always ensure that women have free access to independent legal counsel for this step because it’s important that you fully understand what you’re agreeing to. 

Not all adoption attorneys or other types of professionals will provide this level of protection for you.

After placement, you don’t have to say goodbye to your child forever. However, you and the adoptive family agreed to communicate prior to giving birth, it’ll be time to work on developing that relationship after your child is born and goes home with them. 

Please know that if you need a little more time to grieve in the beginning, this is completely acceptable. You can take some time for yourself after giving your unborn baby up for adoption before reconnecting with your child’s adoptive family.